Andesite Magmas are Produced along Oceanic Arcs where the Crust is Thin: Evidence from Nishinoshima Volcano, Ogasawara Arc, Japan

Abstract:

The incentive for this study is the ongoing explosive eruption of Nishinoshima volcano, located about 1,000 km south of Tokyo along the Ogasawara (Bonin) Arc. The straightforward but unexpected relationship presented here relates crustal thickness and magma type in the Izu-Ogasawara Oceanic Arc. Volcanoes along the Ogasawara segment of the arc, which include Nishinoshima, are underlain by thin crust (16-21 km)—in contrast to those along the Izu segment, where the crust is ~35 km thick. Interestingly, andesite magmas are dominant products from the former volcanoes and mostly basaltic lavas erupt from the latter.

Why and how do volcanoes on the thin crust erupt andesite magmas? An introductory petrology textbook might answer this question by suggesting that, under decreasing pressure and hydrous conditions, the liquidus field of forsterite expands relative to that of enstatite, with the result that, at some point, enstatite melts incongruently to produce primary andesite melt. According to the hypothesis presented here, however, rising mantle diapirs stall near the base of the oceanic arc crust at depths controlled by the thickness of the overlying crust. Where the crust is thin, as along the Ogasawara segment of the arc, pressures are relatively low, and magmas produced in the mantle wedge tend to be andesitic. Where the crust is thick, as along the Izu segment, pressures are greater, and only basaltic magmas tend to be produced.

To examine this hypothesis, JAMSTEC cruise NT15-E02 on the R/V Natsushima took place from 11 June to 21 June 2015 to Nishinoshima. It’s present island has an elevation of only ~150 m, but its submarine flanks extend to ocean depths of 2,000-3,000 m, so the great bulk of the volcano is submarine and yet-to-be explored. We present the new hypothesis and its evidence from Nishinoshima based on the primitive lavas collected from the submarine parts of the volcano.